Slow Cooker Chicken Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

This Slow Cooker Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo is a New Orleans inspired dish that’s full of flavor! It’s comfort food to the max, hearty, and best of all it’s freezer friendly!

Slow Cooker Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo

Now, I realize this is not the normal fare you see around here on Countryside Cravings but you know me, I am always willing to try out something new. I have made gumbo a handful of times and we absolutely love how flavorful it is. The only thing I don’t care for is how time consuming it is to make. So, I wanted to make a slow cooker version and after a few trial and errors, I think I nailed it.

I tried to make this as easy as possible when making this recipe but found it absolutely necessary to keep the roux. It’s a crucial component and after doing some research about gumbo it’s what gives it so much flavor. So, that step cannot be deleted. However, using the slow cooker made this easier because you won’t have to stand at the pot stirring it so much.

This may not be an authentic gumbo but I wanted to make it a little more manageable for the everyday cook. I have never been to New Orleans so I can’t say for sure how close this compares to the real deal. And don’t be intimidated by the roux, it really isn’t that hard and I took a picture (above) so you know what color to look for.

What is a roux?

A roux (pronounced roo) is a thickening agent made from flour and a fat (oil, butter, animal fat). The flour and fat are cooked together to get rid of the raw flour taste and depending on how long you cook it, it will develop a nutty flavor.

There are four types of roux: white, blond, medium brown, and dark brown. For this recipe, we need either a medium brown or dark brown roux and the picture towards the top of the post is a medium brown.

How to make a Medium Brown Roux:

For this recipe, I chose to make a medium brown roux. Many gumbos use a dark brown roux but the longer you cook a roux it will start to lose its thickening power. I needed both flavor and thickening for this recipe and that’s why I decided on a medium brown roux.

Start by choosing your fat. I chose butter for this recipe but you can also use oil or even bacon fat. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Now you will need to add in the same amount of flour as fat. So if you melted 2 tablespoons of fat you will use 2 tablespoons of flour. For this recipe, we used 1/2 cup of butter so we will need 1/2 cup of flour. Add that to the pan and whisk to combine.

Now, we will keep whisking almost constantly until we reach that medium brown color (about the color of peanut butter). This is key to making a good roux, whisking helps keep is smooth, silky, and helps prevent it from burning. If you see black spots it has burned and you will need to start over. Many will give suggested lengths of time it takes to achieve the different colored rouxs but I prefer to go by color because everyone’s stove cook differently. If you feel it is cooking way to fast lower the heat to a medium low.

What is the difference between gumbo and jambalaya?

Gumbo is more of a soup/stew that is served with rice. Jambalaya is a rice dish where the rice is actually cooked with the rest of the ingredients.

Can I freeze this Slow Cooker Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo?

Yes!! This does make a very large amount of food and it is freezer friendly!! You can freeze in single portions or larger portions. It will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months and just let thaw overnight and reheat as needed.

So don’t be afraid to tackle a roux if you haven’t before. It really isn’t that hard, and it’s the starting point for so many other dishes! Also, please don’t be afraid of the longer ingredient list. There aren’t any wierd ingredients I promise!!

In a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to whisk almost constantly until it reaches a medium brown color (like peanut butter) and has a nice toasty smell. If it is browning really fast turn down your heat so it doesn't burn.

Add the chopped onion, bell peppers, celery, garlic and cajun seasoning. Increase heat back up to medium if needed and cook for 3-5 minutes just to get the vegetables a little head start. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and continue to whisk until there are no lumps. Transfer to slow cooker.

Stir in sausage, okra, and bay leaves. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken can be easily shredded.

Remove chicken to cutting board and shred. Transfer back to slow cooker and stir in shrimp. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stew settle for 5 minutes. If any fat comes to the surface remove with a spoon if desired.

Recipe Notes

Freezer Friendly- this can be frozen in single portions or larger portions for up to 6 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as needed.

Nutrition info calculated using butter and chicken breasts.

What to serve with this Slow Cooker Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo

I have never had authentic cajun food and I have always wanted to try it. Several years ago I scoured the internet trying to figure out how to make gumbo. I tried a few recipes and made a mash-up of them and threw it into the slow cooker because I’m lazy, lol!

Hi Tammra! I don’t like okra on its own but I don’t mind it in gumbo at all. It’s necessary to help thicken the gumbo so I guess you could try thickening it at the end with a little cornstarch and water mixture.

The okra is what thickens the dish so if you leave it out you will need to add some cornstarch and cook a little longer to thicken it. Honestly, you don’t taste the okra at all. My family doesn’t care for okra either but don’t mind it in this dish.

Very amazing recipe. I made a few modifications and it seem to turn out well. I first seared the smoke sausage and shrimp. Also for the rue, flour alone gives a very chalky taste, a slight seasoning to the flower or making a rue out of a gumbo starter flour makes a huge difference for those of us who like flavor. Great foundation for Gumbo!

Amazing! I grew up in Texas and have always loved Cajun gumbo but was too scared to try it. I started the roux as this recipe called for and within 5 minutes began to see black specs. Dump. Second try, dumped again. Third try I saw black specs again and decided to just go for it. If anything,ordering pizza would only take 20 minutes. Followed the recipe to a tee except for adding tomato paste to try to cut the potential burnt roux taste and a little extra seasoning. Boom. As I right this my boyfriend is passed out on the couch in a food coma. Moral of the story is, I thought my gumbo was completely ruined but the fact is I’ll be eating it for lunch for the next few days. Many thanks for this recipe. Looking forward to making it again!